On one side of the debate are the people who believe that head lice have developed resistance to regular treatments, so that they no longer work. Other experts believe that resistance is not a big problem, and treatment failures are because parents didn’t remove the nits or that the child was misdiagnosed.

Head Lice Symptoms

The main symptom of a head lice infestation is an itchy scalp from the bites of the lice. These bites can then become infected, and may appear red or crusty, and may lead to your child developing swollen lymph glands in his neck.

Diagnosis of Head Lice

In addition to having the symptoms listed above, children with head lice will have gray or reddish brown live head lice scurrying around their scalp. Lice are small, about the size of a sesame seed, and although they don’t fly or hop, they can crawl very fast, making them hard to spot.

Another sign that can help you make the diagnosis, is finding nits, or lice eggs, attached to your child’s hair. Nits are small, oval shaped and usually a yellowish-white color and are firmly attached to the side of hair shafts. If you confirm that your child does have live lice or nits, it is important that you don’t panic about your child’s head lice.

Head Lice Treatments

The main treatments for head lice usually involve using a head lice shampoo, like: Head Lice Dr, and then patiently and diligently removing nits with a lice comb. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for whatever products you choose to use.

For light infestations or if you are uncomfortable using an anti-lice shampoo, you can try to simply remove the live lice and nits manually or use a full-service company that is dedicated to the detection and removal of head lice.

As there are often a lot of nits on a child and they are hard to find and remove, you may continue to find nits for days after treatment. This doesn’t mean that the treatment didn’t work. If you continue to find live lice after treating with a anti-lice shampoo then that likely does mean that it didn’t work or your child was reinfected.

Also be sure to wash your child’s clothing and bedding in hot water and vacuum to remove lice and nits from furniture, carpets, stuffed animals, etc. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you really only have to clean “items, clothing, furniture, or carpeting that have been in contact with the head of the person with infestation in the 24 to 48 hours before treatment,” and not everything in your house though. And you can put anything that you can’t wash in a large plastic bag for a few weeks if you are really concerned that it is infested.

What You Need To Know Don’t Panic About Head Lice – Unfortunately, the first reaction for many parents in dealing with head lice is to panic. Panicking is not going to kill the head lice though and will likely lead to over-treatment and anxiety in your child who may be concerned that they have “bugs” in their hair. Nits hatch in 7 to 10 days and develop into an adult in another 7 to 10 days which can then lay more (up to 100) eggs. So it is important to remove all of the nits to break this cycle. Also, since anti-lice shampoos don’t usually kill nits, you have to usually retreat the child in 7 to 10 days to kill any newly hatched lice. Children are often misdiagnosed with head lice because they have hair casts that resemble nits, or they have dead or empty nits that are far away from the scalp. If you think your child has lice but you don’t actually see any live lice, see your Pediatrician to confirm the diagnosis. Be careful before trying ‘alternative’ treatments, like mayonaise, vaseline, olive oil or Tea tree oil. Although they are ‘natural’ treatments, they are untested, and products like mayonaise can be hard to get out of a child’s hair (dishwashing is supposed to make it easier though). Alternative medications for resistant lice might include Ovide (malathion, an insecticide), Lindane, the antibiotic Bactrim (which kills symbiotic bacteria inside the lice), Ivermectim, or using Elimite, a stronger version of Nix which is usually used to treat scabies. Viq (Benzyl Alcohol Lotion 5%) was recently approved to treat children over six months of age with head lice. Unlike other head lice shampoos which are mostly pesticides, Viq is a water-soluble gel that works to suffocate head lice. Do your homework or see your pediatrician before treating your child with multiple remedies. please visit Head Lice Dr, this is a great sources of detailed information on head lice infestations and treatments.

Originally posted 2010-01-06 07:05:57. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Head lice are parasitic wingless insects. They live on people’s heads and feed on their blood. An adult is called a louse and is about the size of a sesame seed. The eggs, called nits, are even smaller – almost like a dandruff flake. Lice and nits are easiest to detect at the neckline and behind the ears.

Head lice Causes

Head lice are transferred by close hair-to-hair contact. They cannot jump, fly or swim, but walk from one hair to another. It is a misconception that head lice infestation is as a result of dirty hair and poor hygiene. Head lice can be found in all hair types, long or short, and in hair of any condition.

Contact with contaminated furniture. Lying on a bed, or sitting in furniture can spread lice. Head lice live for up to two days off the body.

Sexual contact. All three forms of lice can spread in this manner.

Head Lice Symptoms

A head lice infection doesn’t often cause symptoms. When it does the main symptom is itchiness – beware a child constantly scratching his or her scalp. Sometimes you see tiny red spots on the scalp or the lice and nits (nits are the empty eggshells after the lice have hatched) in the hair.

Because lice move very fast, they are not always easy to see. Here’s what you can watch for:

Frequent scratching

Small red bumps or sores on the scalp, neck and shoulders

Children who have lice will often scratch at their heads, creating sores.

Infected sores will get crusty, ooze, and may cause swollen glands at the back of the neck.

Treatment of Head Lice

Your doctor can recommend a medicated shampoo, cream, or lotion to kill the lice. These may be over-the-counter or prescription medications, depending on what treatments have already been tried. It isn’t uncommon for treatments to be unsuccessful because of incorrect use or because the lice may be resistant to the chemical in the shampoo.

Some people use home remedies like mayonnaise, petroleum jelly, olive oil or margarine. Although these products may make it hard for lice to breathe, they probably won’t kill them.

There isn’t any evidence that products like tea tree oil or aromatherapy are effective in treating head lice.

Never use gasoline or kerosene. These products can be extremely dangerous.

Nits may be treated as indicated above. For involvement of eyelashes, petrolatum is applied thickly, twice daily for eight days and the remaining nits are then plucked off. There is a controversy about whether or not lice and the acarus of scabies can develop resistance to lindane.

Treat children and adults with lice promptly and thoroughly.

Wash all clothes and bed linens in hot water with detergent. This also helps prevent head lice from spreading to others during the short period when head lice can survive off the human body.

Originally posted 2009-12-21 06:54:52. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Intense scratching may lead to secondary bacterial infection. Head lice can’t live on pets, such as cats or dogs. There are a number of very effective treatments for head lice. The most important step in treating head lice is to treat the person and other family members with medicine to kill the lice. Malathion works as well as other agents used to kill lice. Malathion must be left on for at least eight hours for it to work. Pyrethrin and permethrin are quite safe to humans. Lindane, however, can be toxic.Permethrin may work better than lindane, though most trials were done before permethrin was widely used and resistance to the drug developed. Pyrethrins are used as a 0.33% shampoo or mousse. Never use gasoline or kerosene. These products can be extremely dangerous.

Aromatherapy has been frequently used to treat for lice, but this has not been confirmed as a viable treatment. Herbal treatments ( tea tree oil) are sometimes used to treat head lice. Avoid head-to-head contact common during play at school and at home. Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person. Do not share clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair ribbons. Don’t leave the shampoo or rinse in hair longer than directed. Rinse hair well after the treatment. Regular combing of hair using the bug-busting method can help with early detection as well as treatment. If your child has long hair, tie it back as this helps to reduce the likelihood of contact between their hair and that of an infected child.

Head Lice Home Remedies Tips

1. For head lice problem wash your hair with vinegar.

2. Apply coconut oil to your head after shampoo and condition.

3. Apply a mixture of lemon and butter on your head, wait for 15 seconds and then rinse your head.

4. Always keep your hair well-groomed and clean by using the suitable shampoo.

5. Add 1 tsp of garlic paste in 1 tsp of limejuice, and to apply it all over the scalp.

6. Take about 8-10 almonds and crush them to form a paste with 2-3 tsp of limejuice. Apply the paste on the scalp.

Originally posted 2009-12-25 07:37:33. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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How they spread

Head lice don’t have legs that jump and can not fly so containing head lice can be quite easy providing you follow trusted methods. They spread through head-to-head contact with another person who has head lice, which is why people who are in contact regularly with others, such as children at school, are deemed a higher risk. Head Lice move from one recipient to another in a matter of seconds. As they can not fly they are able to crawl very quickly, some up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) per minute.

Signs of Head Lice:

One way to tell if someone has a head lice infestation is if they itch their head a lot, this may not be a head lice infection. It may be that they are suffering with dandruff, but it is one of the main symptoms of head lice infestation.

Another sign to look out for are dead or empty eggs stuck to hairs that are growing out, these will look like small bits of dandruff an can be anything from white to brown in color.

The final sign is louse droppings, these look like a fine black powder, which can normally be seen on pillows and sheets.

The life cycle of a head louse is about 6 weeks; this is from the egg being laid till the adult’s life ends. Below is a breakdown of this life cycle:

1) The eggs are laid and take 7 to 9 days incubation

2) The Nymph (new born head louse) goes through 3 stages before reaching adulthood

3) The adult, now called a head louse, lives for approximately thirty days, the female head louse can lay between 3 and 6 eggs a day during this time

Home Remedies and Treatment Tips of Head Louse:

1.Avoid from harmful chemicals.

2.Mix fresh lemon and coconut oil(equal amounts).Apply gently on your hair. leave at least 2 to 3 hrs.and wash your head.

3 . In 2 teaspoon of limejuice, add 2 teaspoon of garlic paste and apply it all over your scalp. Keep for 45 minutes and then wash.

4. Using vinegar i.e wash you hair. And also Using fresh parsley juice.

5. Applying a Mixture of 50% kerosene and 50% water to hair as a lotion. Leave at least 6 to 4 hrs.( home remedy for head louse)

7. Keep your head surroundings clean to remove head louse(lice).

8. Wash your hair with warm apple cider vinegar. Then cover your head.

9. Neem, olive oil, tea tree oil etc, which can be used for treating head louse.

10.person does not share anything from clothes, coats, hats, towels, and combs.

11.Regular washing of bed linen and brushes and combs in hot soapy water will kill any remaining lice.

Originally posted 2010-01-06 07:05:53. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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